VESTAL, N.Y. - Binghamton men's basketball used an 11-0 second-half run to stretch a single-digit lead and the Bearcats (11-11, 3-6 America East) pulled away from visiting UAlbany (11-13, 3-6 AE) 69-57 Thursday night at Dr. Bai Lee Court at the Events Center. The win was BU's third in the the last four and raised its home record to 8-2. The team wore "Colonials" jerseys and fans received t-shirts showing the original school nickname for the "Throwback Game" promotion, which drew 2,543 fans. 

Playing without injured point guard Symir Torrence, whose 7.2 assist average ranks third in the nation, BU turned over the reigns to graduate forward Armon Harried. He responded with 40 minutes of work at the point and a double-double (his second of the season) of 11 points and 10 rebounds plus four assists. Senior guard Tymu Chenery led the scoring production with a game-high 18 points. Graduate forward Dan Petcash added a double-double of his own with 11 points and 10 rebounds as the Bearcats controlled the glass with 48 rebounds in what was a physical game. 

The Bearcats led 35-32 at half and led 50-44 with 9:23 left before embarking on the decisive 11-0 run which spanned four minutes. Chenery had six points and Petcash four during the run, which also was fueled by the Great Danes' 0-for-7 shooting. In the second half, BU held UAlbany to 24 percent shooting, including 2-for-16 from 3-point range. The Bearcats willed their way to the rim throughout the game and scored 50 of their 69 points in the paint. 

Five nights after scoring 102 points in a home loss to UMBC, UAlbany was held to nearly half that total by the Bearcats, who won the fourth time in the last six meetings against their longtime SUNY rivals. 

"I thought we battled and had a great effort tonight," head coach Levell Sanders said. "In the game at Albany they were way more physical than we were (a 95-75 loss on Jan. 13) and we didn't want that to happen again so our guys came out, played hard we were able to get the win. We stuck to the game plan and executed, especially in the second half. It was a total team effort. Now it's just a matter of keeping it going and becoming more consistent."

Binghamton shot 52 percent in the first half but UAlbany neutralized that efficiency with six 3-pointers. The Bearcats used a 13-4 run to turn a 22-20 deficit into a 33-26 edge but the Great Danes scored six of the final eight points of the half to trim their margin to three. 

Senior forward Nehemiah Benson scored nine of his 13 points in the first half and senior center Tariq Balogun added nine points in 21 minutes. 

The Bearcats remain at home and will host second-place Bryant at 2 p.m. on Saturday.